I don't mean to laugh at you but your last question regarding sticking out is funny but also sad to me. No you will 'stick out'. NJ is extremely diverse and the areas you are looking are the most diverse. Of course racism lives everywhere but you shouldn't encounter is much at all if any.

The hardest thing to describe to ppl relocating is how diverse NJ is and how only a few miles separate the most economically depressed area from some of the wealthiest area in the country. All the area you mentioned are mostly urban and have a lot of congestion and ppl in small areas. They are close to NYC which makes the commute easier and all those areas have great culture. The biggest thing you need to determine is what type of environment you want to live and how willing you are to have a longer commute. Places like Summit/Chatham & westfield are more suburban and quiet more that increases commute time. There are also places like red Bank which are closer to the beautiful beaches and a place where many ppl commute from to NYC (Via ferry).

Welcome to NJ. Most of the negative stereotypes are untrue...........some are true.

Non of those places are quiet low key places at all… their more the opposite.

I would suggest looking at the transit maps and finding towns that are on the lines. If your looking for quiet and low key you’ll have to go further away from NY to find that. Not much but say 15-30 mins out should do fine. Just keep in mind the further away from the city, the less diverse and the more racist but also more quiet and open. Bergen county is pretty diverse but some areas can be really expensive but the further out from the city typically the cheaper the apartments will be. You could even get a house for the price of an apartment in Hoboken. Not sure what your able to afford but if you want diverse and quiet ridgewood is beautiful and has a train station in town. Only reason I’m saying ridgewood is bc you mentioned hoboken and if you can afford hoboken I’m pretty sure you could afford ridgewood

1. NJ Transit is fairly consistent. Just watch out for snow/ice. I personally take the train which has it's own issues, but the busses run well. The Lincoln Tunnel can be a nightmare, but if you're sitting on a bus and letting the driver do the work, sit back and relax.

2. If you want a quiet, Low-Key area, don't look at Hudson, Bergen, or Passaic counties. Morris, Essex, or Somerset would be better options, though the commute gets longer and more expensive. As far as rent is concerned, all of North Jersey is comparable.

3. NJ is the most densely populated state in the country with thousands of black, Indian, Asian and Muslam/Middle Eastern people. Some towns may be predominately white, but few people should bother you for the color of your skin. There are prejudiced people everywhere, of course, but NJ has fewer of them, or at least fewer of the ones that have louder voices.

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I hope that helps! Welcome in advance to NJ! Once you're here, sample our bagels, pizza and head to Newark for the best Portuguese food and Italian Hot Dogs you'll ever have. And you can catch a show or a hockey game!

I lived in New Jersey all my life (24 years) and its honestly a great place if you want a calm and peaceful place to be (especially in the sub urbs). I personally love weehawken, edgewater (especially edgewater) and hoboken but those are bigger cities of New Jersey. Its not as quiet as you expect because of how crowded it usually is. It is so hard to find parking in these cities. I usually go to those cities to have fun or drink with friends. However, those cities are great places to live to have new experiences, new foods, and scenic walks. NJ Transit is very reliable and highly utilized throughout jersey. I have taken the Bus many times to the city and depending on the hour, you can get to the city as quickly as 30 min.

In regards to racism, racism in New Jersey is not that prominent. I am an Asian american male and have not experienced any racism. Jersey is also mainly a blue state so you shouldnt worry too much in regards of racism.

If you and your husband are planning on having kids, I highly encourage you guys to move to the sub urbs. The sub urbs are quieter, safer, and have better education systems. North Bergen is great but Bergen County is definitely better for your kids in terms of living standards, comfortability, and education.

Excited for you guys to experience Jersey! Welcome!

In regards to the racism question

https://www.reddit.com/r/newjersey/comments/xowr55/serious_i_regret_leaving_this_state/

>i like quiet, lowkey places so even if there isnt much to do,

Oh sweetie this is Jersey. We don't do low key. Get used to being rushed unless you're in your house or a friend's house

Congrats on getting out of Texas. You are going to be in for some (refreshing) surprises. Welcome.

Check out The Doric in Union City. It's a co-op building right on the line of Hoboken and would likely meet almost all of your needs. Easy to have a car as well.

I also moved to NJ from Texas. The commute is fine but I’d recommend taking the train if possible. It is so expensive to just commute by car here. It’s $14 each time you pass the tunnel now, gas is still fairly expensive, and Tons of other tolls exist in Nj.

You’ll fit right in, no racism minus a few crazies that may exist but they get ignored. Not sure about edgewater but Hoboken and jersey city can be noisy near the bars from thursday-sunday.

Any reason you left Bayonne off the list? It's probably the quieter than most of the Hudson County places you put on your list. There's really no tourism/loud nightlife there. Busses/rail go right to PATH or NYC.

look into harrison as well! definitely on the quieter side except when there’s soccer games due to the red bull arena. it also has the PATH train which makes it pretty easy to get to places in lower manhattan like the word trade center and all the way up to 33rd street with lots of places to make connections in the subway. def would recommend the train over driving

This is exciting! I moved from Austin to manhattan when I graduated from college in 2008. It was a recession and I had a $15/hour job and made it work, because I had a dream to live in the city and was willing to give up a lot. I have lived in Jersey City for two years, because during the Covid lockdown a 500 square foot apartment with no sunlight was no longer tenable.

Now for a similar rent I have two bed, two bath, a balcony, and a pool in the roof. I take the path to work twice a week, and frequently take it for a week night dinner or weekend fun. I get that there can be plenty to complain about. Are the trains late? Yes, but not as often as they are on time. Will you often get a train that’s standing room only? Yes, that’s standard. But almost 100% of the population here is easily able to rely on nothing but the path and the subway for daily life. It is honestly a modern marvel. Our transit system serves more riders with more lines and more stops than anywhere else on earth and I will defend it until I die, lol.

I was struck by how diverse Jersey City is. In NYC there are people of all types, but we tend to congregate with people who are like us. In jersey city it’s a lot more integrated and I honestly hear people speaking multiple languages as I walk down the street. A lot of times at a restaurant you’ll notice one type of person works there and another tile eats here - in jersey city, again, it’s more integrated.

Living in jersey city or Hoboken will be similar to living in downtown Austin. It is certainly less crowded than NYC but it is still a dense area where you will primarily walk everywhere you go.

We just bought a house in Atlantic Highlands. We are excited because it is 15 min from the beach, which is the only dream I’ll give up on NYC for. From there, I will ride a 40 min ferry to Manhattan for work. Pretty much everyone raves about the ferry as a great way to commute, but it is more expensive than the trains and busses. The area is fully suburban. Our mortgage for 4 bed, 2 bath home will be the same as the rent on our current apartment. Out there we will have to have two cars as transit is made to get to the city and not to get around your town.

Good luck!

Hoboken or Weehawkin are good places to land when you first come. Once you’re here awhile, you can figure out where you really want to live. There’s a lot to choose from. My partner and I are planning to move to Essex County from New York, and we’re just going to rent something that meets our needs temporarily until we figure out where suits us.

It’s hard to move to a whole new state even from across the river!!

Why NJ over NY? When I worked in NYC I moved there because the commute drained my life and aged me prematurely.

Living in a quiet place would put you in Princeton Junction and offer up the train, but I'm guessing your husband is going to work near the port authority which is a terrible place. But if he is working in midtown, live off the NEC. Princeton Junction is quiet and in some places you can walk to the train and live a suburban lifestyle.

Racism is everywhere in NJ and NYC, me and my gf are different races so we get it a lot more than same race couples. I suppose it depends on tolerance to it. We call it out and take none of it so we have more exposure.

Keep in mind that NJ has a demand for public transportation, we pay handsomely to commute via train $500+ in some areas. While the subway stats are negligible, deaths and violence on the subways have skyrocketed after the pandemic.

I've lived in CT, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Mercer County, Middlesex County, Burlington County, Philadelphia.

Weehawken and Hoboken are probably the best from your top 3. Both very close to the city with reliable transportations options. Easy commuting even late at night. Both also diverse. Hoboken is more nightlife-y but there are quieter areas. It may come down to where in the city the office is.

I know someone mentioned Bayonne but I personally wouldn’t recommend it as it’s further out with fewer reliable transportation options, has more families with kids, and is more rednecky.

All those locations are basically NYC. Why not just live in NYC if thats where hes working? Why NJ?

North Bergen is gross, Weehawken is boring, Hoboken is by far the best of the 3. Commuting to Manhattan from anywhere is a nightmare, but Hoboken is far easier (one train) than the others. It will still take him an hour door to door, or more depending on if he needs to take a second train in Manhattan. I commute to Manhattan 3 days a week and it’s honestly a nightmare. The Path train is packed like sadines and the NYC Subway is also packed, dangerous, and unreliable. Consider living in Manhattan if you can afford it.

Nj transit isn’t reliable I had a bus driver go into on coming traffic and hit into port authority- trains just show up whenever